ExFile
by RosaLev
Summary: Quick little postep for exfile and now identity crisis.  Please read.  Rated T to be super extra careful.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: NCIS is the property of CBS and all those folks.

Post-Ep for Ex-File so obviously it contains spoilers for Ex-File

Gibbs's Basement

"That's private." Gibbs said to Hollis Mann after the tape of his daughter and wife finished playing. He stared at her and the statement came out sharper than he intended. "It's private, it's not for you to listen to because you're bored." She looked stricken and for a moment he considered apologizing, sign of weakness or not.

"Jethro. That's not..." She said, tears in her eyes, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Me not wanting to talk about Shannon and Kelly has nothing to do with you or our relationship." Gibbs stood up and walked down the stairs.

"I'm beginning to understand that most decisions you make have nothing to do with me." She looked at him, anger behind the hurt in he eyes.

"I don't want to have this conversation right now." Gibbs said looking her in the eye.

"Will you ever want to?" She asked, softly. He looked away.

"Not tonight."

"That's not what I asked."

"Let it go." He grabbed his jacket and his keys.

"Where are you going?" She asked incredulously.

"I need to not be here right now." He walked up the stairs without another word. Leaving Hollis alone in his basement their dinner.

Twenty minutes later, Gibbs was in a bar, two blocks away from Abby's apartment. It wasn't an accident that he was so close to her home as he finished drink after drink as he watched sports highlights on the large TV hanging over the bar. He stopped himself from driving directly to her apartment.

There was a time when he wouldn't have even thought about it before going directly to Abby's. He would have knocked and she would have welcomed him in with open arms. They would have stayed up late talking into the morning hours while sharing a bottle Jack Daniels.

It had been while since one of their late night sessions. It had been months or as he had put it, "many many weeks" since he showed up on her doorstep to be welcomed with unquestionable love and devotion.

Three hours went by and Gibb's stood on Abby's doorstep with almost no recollection of his walk there. He knocked softly, knowing that she would not be sleeping deeply after the day they had. He could hear her on the other side of the door. Her feet moving quickly to the door, he could almost feel her hand leaning against the door as she looked through the peephole.

"Gibbs." She said through the door. He could hear the smile in her voice and it cheered him immeasurably. He waited as she unlocked the two separate deadbolts he had personally installed on her front door.

"I was just thinking about you." Abby opened the door and smiled at him.

"You weren't sleeping?"

"No, but neither were you." She looked at him, noticing the distress in eyes. "Come in."

He walked in and settled on her large couch. She brought him a glass of wine,

"It's all I have in the house." She explained, curling up on the couch next to him. She didn't ask him what was wrong, sensing that he didn't want to talk.

The sat next to each other and drank their wine, wordlessly. Listening to the music softly rising from speakers hidden around Abby's apartment. She rubbed his neck gently, and he visibly relaxed at her touch. They finished their drinks and she poured them each another.

He took the glass she offered and set it down on the table. He reached for her hand and pulled her towards him. He lay bag against her couch and held her close to him. He pressed his lips against the top of her head, and closed his eyes. Within minutes he was asleep, with Abby soon to follow.

Thanks for reading. One shot for now.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: not mine, don't sue, I've got nothing.

Postep: Identity Crisis

Abby stood on Gibbs's doorstep holding her laptop bag and a bottle of whiskey. Nasty stuff but he liked it and after a few years hanging out with Gibbs, she liked it too. She had circled the block twice, attempting to make sure that Lt. Col Mann wasn't there before she finally decided to park and go to his door.

Now she stood, staring at his front door and the only thing keeping her from going inside was her own nerves, "Just do it Abby." She whispered to herself, "Great now I'm speaking in slogans." She rolled her eyes for no one and finally opened the door and walked inside.

She could her a football game softly playing, mingling the sound of Gibbs sawing. Gibbs and his hand tools, it made her smile. She walked down the stairs thinking about how close he stood to her in her lab after she hung up on Ducky. It made her tingle a little and she hummed softly to herself.

"Abbs." He said, smiling to himself, not looking up.

"Did you know that Ducky has a hot date tonight?" Abby took the bottle of whiskey out of the bag.

"With the female ME." Gibbs answered before pointing at the bottle, "I only have one glass."

"You say that every time I come over." She opened the bottle and took a swig.

"Are you saying that after eight years it's getting old?" Gibbs grabbed the bottle from Abby and took a swing.

"I find it charming, actually." Answered Abby as she looked at the boat, "Looks good." He watched as she ran her hand over the smooth boards, she smiled at him and his heart soared. She grabbed the bottle from him and took a long drink. "So I should probably tell you that I have an ulterior motive for coming here tonight. She stood close to him, her lips inches away from his.

"Ulterior motive?" He questions, leaning in a fraction of an inch.

"It's time you got to know the Dread Pirate Roberts." Abby pulled a DVD out of her bag and handed it to him.

"The Princess Bride." Gibbs read, "I don't have a DVD player and that's my only TV." Gibbs pointed to the tiny television connected to an old set of rabbit ears.

"I've got that covered. " Abby said, picking up her laptop bag.

"We're going to watch a movie on that?" Gibbs pointed to her laptop bag uncertainly.

"The screen is almost twice the size of that thing." Abby pointed to his TV, "Take me to your living room. You do have a couch right?"

"I have a couch, Abbs." Gibbs took her hand and led her upstairs, "Got a coffee table too."

A/N: No longer a one shot. Probably a two shot. I've got other stories that I should be finishing. But I couldn't help myself due to the fact that Abby was in like one scene this week. Ok so that's not true but it's never enough.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: NCIS belongs to CBS. I'm making no money off of this so please don't sue me.

A/N: Apparently this is becoming a series. But I make no promises. Postep for Leap of Faith so obviously this story contains spoilers for leap of faith.

The rumors were going around NCIS for a week. Abby a fancy hotel, eating Caviar with a head hunter. They offered her six figures a year and her own Caf!Pow machine. Abby was leaving. Everyone was talking about it.

The idea of Abby leaving hit him like a gun shot. It had never occurred to him before that she would leave. He didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. Why didn't she tell him about it?He wanted to kick DiNozzo's ass for, for spreading the rumors but actually felt bad for him when he saw how crushed he looked after taking a verbal lashing from Abby.

She may have taken the flowers but she was still angry. He knew her well enough to know that. He saw her face when he told her to take the job offer. He had hurt her deeply. Flowers weren't going to fix that.

Gibbs stood on Abby's doorstep. He could hear the familiar sound of Coltrane floating through the door. If Abby was listening to jazz than Gibbs was in more trouble than he thought.

He gripped the handle to the liquor bottle he had brought Abby as a peace offering and knocked on her door. He waited, listening to the sound of Abby walking to the door and unlocking the endless sets of locks. The chain was still attached when she opened the door. She peaked through the door.

"So I get flowers for solving the case and bourbon for staying at NCIS." Abby said looking at him half smiling, pointing at the bottle. He noticed that she did not move aside and open the door for him as he hoped she would.

"You get Bourbon because I was an ass." He admitted. She shut the door, undid the chain and opened the door all the way.

"I'm listening." She crossed her arms and leaned against the door frame.

"I take you for granted."

"Damn right Gibbs." She grinned at him and opened the door, "Get in here." She gave him a hug and he held her, tightly against his body.

"I'm sorry Abbs." He pressed his lips against the top of her head. She pulled away and looked at him.

"You were mad at me. You were cold." She looked at him sadly; the hurt in her eyes was evident. He looked at her, his mouth set in a firm line. He didn't know what to say. It wasn't often that he found himself in that position, not with Abby, "Gibbs?"

"I wasn't mad at you." Gibbs sad "I was... I thought you might leave." he admitted finally.

"Gibbs!" Said Abby said, her voice fogged with emotion, "I can't believe you thought I would leave."

"Why didn't you tell me about the offers? Three or four a year?"

"Because Gibbs, it's a non issue. I would never leave NCIS." She looked at him, "I simply would never do that."

"Was it just for the caviar?"

"It was nice to be fawned over." She said softly. And I like to dress up and go to nice places one in a while.

"Next time you want someone to fawn over you." Gibbs took her hand, "Call me."

"Gibbs, It's fine." She got up and went into the kitchen to get ice and two glasses, all the while talking, "I'm busy, You're busy. The work we do is important. We almost never have the time to stop and say thank you. I get that and it's totally ok. But sometimes it get to be too much."

"I'm never too busy for you." He looked at her. "You know that Abby.

"The things you say." She smiled at him and looked away. He leaned back against the couch and watched her thoughtfully as she gracefully poured the bourbon into two highball glasses. She handed it to him without looking him in the eye.

"Abby?" He sat up and wrapped his arm around her. "Abbs." Gibbs took her face in his hands and saw the tears in her eyes. Gibbs could count on one hand the number of time he had seen her cry.

"It's the music." She laughed and took a deep breath. "It makes me sad. I should change it. Android Lust OK?" Gibbs almost winced at the thought.

"How about a movie?"

"Are you telling me that you are going to let me subject you to a movie of my choosing twice in one month?" She grinned and pulled out a large black DVD case that contained only a fraction of her movies.

"The last one we watched was good." He suggested, looking over her shoulder.

"I'm going to broaden your horizons Gibbs."

"Am I going to regret this?"

"Let's see... you liked the Princess Bride, which really does have it all, swordplay, humor, true love and of course, big damn hero's." She looked at him and smiled slyly, "I have just the thing."

The End

until next time...


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: hey are not my characters. Which is sad for me.

A/N: I hope this doesn't suck. Also since this is a postep for Chimera, it contains spoilers for chimera (But really, can it be called a spoiler if it aired a week ago?)

Chimera

**Abby's Lab**

**NCIS**

After the feed from the Chimera dissolved into snow, Abby had little to do but wonder about how this could end well. So many secrets and spooks hanging about made Abby nervous. The director had been locked up inside MTAC for the better part of the day with some guy who looked more like CIA than Navy, no matter what he said.

"Abby." The director walked in the find the lap spotless, early quiet. She suddenly regretted not bringing the lab tech a Caf-Pow! as Gibbs had recommended.

"Director." She said simply.

"They are on the way back."

"Why didn't you say so?" Abby almost knocked the director over with a hug. The two women smiled at each other.

"Needless to say, no one wants any record of this case." Jenny Shepherd sighed before turning to leave, "But I do."

"Understood Director. NCIS doesn't destroy evidence" Abby answered.

"Exactly. And get some sleep. They won't be back for hours." Jenny Shepard walked out of Abby's lab as Abby returned to her task of logging in evidence and waiting for the team to return.

**Gibbs's basement**

**Four AM**

Gibbs worked was sanding his boat with such a high level of intensity that if Abby hadn't slammed his front door shut, he wouldn't have known she entered the house. He knew it was Abby. No one else had the gull to slam his door shut.

"Abby." He called out, before her platform hit the top step.

"I would ask how you knew it as me." Said Abby as she gracefully decided the steps into the basement, "But you always do seem to know.

"Want a drink?"

"Yes." She answered, unusually quiet as she looked around her basement.

"Bottle or glass?" He asked holding up both as he watched her, taking in her worried green eyes and how messy her pigtails were, "Abbs."

"Bottle." She answered, "Makes me feel hard core."

"Bottle it is." He poured himself a drink and handed her the bottle.

"You didn't come to by lab." Her eyes were wide as she looked at him. "When you got back. You didn't come and see me."

"I came to the lab."

"You did?"

"You were asleep. I didn't want to wake you." His eyes followed the curve of her hip as her hand rested upon it.

"Always wake me."

"Now I know that."

"Now you know that." Abby took a swig from the bottle, "You've known me for over eight years and now you know that?"

"Is this when you tell me that you understand why I've been married so many times." He drank from his own glass and walked towards her.

"Yes"

"I should have woken you up when I got back." They stood only inches apart, starring into each others eyes.

"Yes." Abby threw her arms around Gibbs and held him close, "I was so worried Gibbs. I was afraid that you'd never come back." She buried her face in his neck, he could feel the hot tears on his skin and held her tightly.

"You didn't think I'd let some fake pirates get the better of me?" Gibbs laughed softly.

"You take too many chances." She let him go and stood back, he didn't answer as he wiped away her tears, knowing that she was right.

"Next time, I promise to wake you up when I get back. OK?"

"OK." Abby wiped her eyes and nodded, "Now whats this about pirates?"


End file.
